Broken Buildings: The Impact of Deferred Maintenance on Your Facility and Mission

Nathan Parr has been a Facility Stewardship Specialist with Smart Church Solutions since September 2017. During this time, he has performed Facility Condition Assessments that equate to over 6 million square feet and has identified more than $65 million in deferred maintenance for organizations in 26 states. In addition to assessments, Nathan is a software trainer for Smart Church Solutions and performs training and evaluation services for facility managers and their teams.

The Lord prepared Nathan to work with churches from the beginning of his earliest jobs, though it took a while for him to catch up. His first introduction to facility maintenance was in elementary school working with a roofer to clean up shingles. From that moment, Nathan’s jobs have provided insight into many areas of facility stewardship.

For three years, Nathan worked with a commercial landscaping company in Kansas, learning what it took to maintain landscapes and ensure you stayed hydrated. While in college as an undergraduate, he worked in the Kansas State University Department of Theatre and Dance Scene Shop, the university construction shop, the local IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) union, and for a local construction company that was a registered contractor for historic preservation.

Nathan then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and went to California and Alabama for initial training. He entered the Marine Corps Reserves and moved to South Carolina. While there, Nathan worked as a supervisor for a commercial contractor, working on projects from new fire stations to high-end residential remodels and additions. A year was also spent installing commercial flat roofs in the Carolinas and Georgia.

In 2003, Nathan opened his own residential remodeling company and began working throughout Central Texas. In 2004/2005, he was activated and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2-2. Nathan served under the 1st Marine Division in the Al-Anbar Province of Iraq.

Upon completion of active duty, Nathan decided to pivot and began working at a large church in central Texas as the Operations Manager. The church was active seven days a week, hosted a state-licensed child-care facility, Chinese and Spanish Mission churches, a private school, and maintained nine distinct properties with ten acres downtown. While working as the Operations Manager, Nathan earned a Master’s degree in Theological Studies, a Masters in Business Administration, became a certified and commissioned private security officer in the State of Texas, and obtained his Food Safety Manager certification.

Nathan is a sought-after thought leader at several national conferences and expos, webinars, and publications. He believes that all he has experienced has been prep work for where God has him now—working with those who wish to be the best stewards of what has been entrusted to them.

Nathan and his wife Andi have three children and reside in Texas.